There are some important reasons why every retail business should consider improving their security posture. Retail establishments face huge security challenges today in ensuring the safety of their employees and customers, as well as in preventing loss and fraud. Retail environments are complex and include variables which make it difficult to protect their interests without building a business wide culture of security.

Security is much more than having video surveillance and cctv, access control and perimeter alarms. Here are some practical approaches to promoting a culture of security.

Develop Clear Processes and Procedures

Every job includes various processes and procedures. With in these procedures are opportunities to enforce security or cause lapses in security. Develop clear procedures for everything from when doors should be opened and who has access to certain areas, to POI procedures and make these guidelines available and enforced.

Implement Commercial Security Systems

Every commercial and retail business needs some form of electronic security. The needs may include such solutions as video surveillance, asset protection, or access control. Electronic security helps build and enforce the culture of security, as well as helps employees and customers feel secure.

Educate Employees on Safe Practices

Employees may indirectly or unintentionally create risk when they are either uninformed or misinformed about safety practices. Create a uniformed code of conduct so every member of the team has a ready reference of safety expectations.

Provide Safety Training for New Hires, Too

The vast majority of employees want to do the right thing so knowing what is right from the beginning sets the stage for success. Training that encompasses every aspect of daily operations helps to contribute to an organization’s safety culture.

Champion the Cause

Build a safety program which involves everyone from the top down and includes every aspect of your business from protecting customer information to preventing loss. When rules apply to and are abided by everyone at every level of management and throughout the organization, safety practices become part of the fabric of the business.

Conduct Regular Reviews

Once you have a blueprint for your security plan, conduct regular reviews of compliance and effectiveness. Conduct collaborative meetings with department heads to identify any problems and find solutions.

S-Tron is a national security system integrator and specializes in retail loss prevention and commercial security systems. Contact us today for a complimentary evalaution of your retail security system.

Inventory shrink is the loss of products from employee or customer theft, inventory and accounting errors, and loss due to things such as spoilage or damage. Maintaining a low shrink rate is one of the most important aspects of maintaining profitability.
Retail shrink, however, is multidimensional and addressing the problem effectively requires an all-encompassing approach to security as a way to improve all operations rather than seeing security as just a tool to catch criminals.

Improve Operations

Improving storewide operational execution by using video surveillance technologies helps to maintain high levels of execution. When great processes are in place anything out of sync stands out and can be corrected quickly. This can help reduce loss due to accounting, lost or forgotten inventory, and spoilage. Maintaining high levels of execution also helps employees spot shoplifting easily, and helps them to refrain from the temptation themselves.

Reduce Accounting Errors

Security technologies can provide a wide view of the store and its operations but it can also help zero in on POS to help identify and correct errors or acts of fraud.

Product Protection

Another important aspect of preventing shrink is how well you protect your assets. Using tools such as access control is essential in controlling product storage areas.

Video Surveillance is a Crime Deterrence

The two most effective ways to deter theft are to make it too difficult and too risky. Video surveillance technologies are highly effective because they make it difficult to commit shoplifting without getting caught. This is a very important factor as preventing theft is much more cost-effective than catching it.

Video Analytics are Golden

Video analytics are great for telling you what products are performing well and why, but they can also provide insight as to why certain products or particular areas of the building see much more loss. It can also help you manage on-shelf availability and avoid over or under inventory. It also provides information that allows you to better evaluate store operation in relation to patterns of theft and allow you to make adjustments to store layout, product location, and employee engagement.

About S-TRON

S-Tron has over 20 years of uncompromising industry experience and is dedicated to helping retail operations reach their security goals. From video surveillance and access control to intrusion detection and business analytics, S-Tron beats the competition coast to coast.

If you are using security technologies just to protect the business from loss or intrusion, you might want to think again. Asset protection (AP) and loss prevention (LP) are both critical to the retail environment but using security technologies to just address these things can cripple a business that could and should be thriving.

Security Technologies and the Silo Effect

The silo effect, where one application, technology solution, or department sands alone to deliver on their one task or purpose can get a job done; but it never becomes the vehicle of success. The success of today’s business is taking a 360-degree view of the business with no preconceived ideas and addressing those needs across the whole, rather than in segments.
In the retail environment, companies have been struggling to overcome service and data silos for decades. It is recognized as one of the most significant barriers to delivering a consistent end-to-end customer experience. And the problem isn’t going anywhere until businesses get a true outside-in view of the business and understand why customers react the way they do, and where processes need to be improved. Fortunately, there is a powerful solution in retail security and video surveillance solutions.

All of Your Tools for Collaboration

Security, merchandising, operations, management, and marketing are all enhanced with one suite of tools—that of security electronics. By integrating transaction data with other things such as traffic count, loss prevention video, heat mapping, directional analytics, and dwell times—all of your employees and process can work together and leverage common knowledge for collective success.

On the Shoulder of Giants

Every department has expert knowledge of their department, but that knowledge can greatly improve the processes in other departments. Security technologies can gain insights from all departments and help you use that across the entire business.
For example, heat mapping and loss prevention security video can show a department why they have unusually high loss, or unusually low sales. Both could be a simple fix such as moving a display to create a sightline or increased customer visibility. A business could learn that sales are lost because of long lines, or that loss increases when employees are tied up at the register and be able to address both problems with a better queuing system. Real time retail video surveillance footage can reveal problems with processes and productivity which could be addressed with better training and increased management awareness.

Educating Vendors

Having a wealth of definitive data also helps educate vendors. Hot and cold data, for example, is useful in showing vendors where their products perform best within the store—which helps improve vendor relation and increases sales.
The retail market is one in which video surveillance and other security technologies can deliver significant and tangible return on investment. As a national electronic security integrator for national and regional retail and hospitality companies, S-Tron brings together a highly skilled and experienced team with in-depth understanding of security technologies and how to leverage them beyond security.

With over 20 years of uncompromising quality, S-Tron’s singular goal is client satisfaction.

https://www.s-tron.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/using-security-technologies.jpg364802Tina Dunnhttps://www.s-tron.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/logo-web-3.pngTina Dunn2019-06-12 05:00:072019-06-13 11:36:21Are You Using Security Technologies Just for Loss Prevention?

S-TRON, one of the nation’s leading full-service security providers to national retailers & hospitality organizations will have their services on display at the upcoming NRF Protect Convention June 11th through the 13th 2019 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA.

Tina Dunn, Director of Marketing at S-TRON sees the event as a unique opportunity to educate S-TRON’S current & prospective clients on the unique value that S-TRON brings specifically to the retail and hospitality industry. Says Dunn:

“Our service as a true systems integrator is second to none, and our mantra as a company is ‘No Customer Left Behind’. We are at the forefront of surveillance, access control, intrusion and business intelligence systems for this industry and we can’t wait to demonstrate all that S-TRON has to offer C-Stores, Grocery Stores, Restaurants and Retail companies”.

What’s New For This Year?

With conflicts around the globe threatening our way of life, we live in a time of uncertainty. As such, our brave men and women in the armed forces are currently deployed to many assignments overseas. At S-TRON, our founders and 97% of our employees are veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, with some who still continue to serve in the National Guard & Reserve. This year, we’re sending out thousands of post cards with notes of encouragement and appreciation to deployed service members.

When you stop by booth #911 at the NRF Protect Convention this year, we’ll have some blank post cards available for you to write an encouraging note to our service members, thanking them for their sacrifice.

About S-TRON

S-TRON is an electronic security integrator for national and regional retailers with thousands of installation locations and headquarters in Melville, New York. S-TRON provides outstanding customer service for national retail, grocery stores, restaurants and C-stores.

One of the main reasons retailers have video surveillance and CCTVs installed is to curb theft. Indeed, inventory loss through shoplifting or internal theft is a major factor in retail businesses. According to an annual study by The Global Retail Theft Barometer, 43% of lost inventory is due to employee theft. Video surveillance systems have proven to be one of the most effective ways to combat internal theft and shoplifting, but retailers find surveillance systems also have some unexpected benefits as well.

Here are the top 5 surprising benefits retailers experience:

Improved Employee Safety

When criminals see surveillance cameras they are less likely to commit crimes, especially violent ones. Employees feel safer knowing there is security in place and more able to focus on their duties.

Mobile Access

The best picture of your business is one you can get when you are not around. Mobile video access via smart devices provides insight into business activities you may not otherwise have access to.

Triggered Alerts

When paired with motion sensors, retail store owners can receive smartphone alerts and view video when a prohibited area is accessed.

Big Data Mining

More than just surveilling suspicious activities, video surveillance technologies can also provide business intelligence such as customer traffic and sales patterns, and linger times. This information can be used to improve future displays or place certain products more strategically.

Ability to Offer More Competitive Prices

With video surveillance in place, theft and loss is drastically reduced. With losses down, retailers can remain more competitive in their pricing, boosting sales and customer loyalty.

S-TRONs suite of advanced video surveillance and cctv provides critical reporting metrics, safety, and security in one innovative solution. For best-in-class products for regional or national chains, give S-TRON a call today.

Retail theft, whether it is due to shoplifting or employee theft, is one of the biggest factors negatively impacting the profitability of any retail establishment. No matter how secure a store may be, there are always ways to improve security. One of the best ways to do that is to ensure that you are maximizing your video surveillance and CCTV system to its full effectiveness.

A retail video surveillance and CCTV system is an essential part of any loss prevention strategy. Here are a few simple but critical ways you can maximize your system and reduce theft.

Prioritize Your Cameras

Most facilities do not have a surveillance system that covers every inch of the facility. There are many common reasons for this, including unique and challenging store lay out, physical obstructions, and budgetary issues. Take a close and critical look at the business layout and processes and prioritize what needs to be covered, then implement the security camera coverage accordingly.

Position Your Cameras Wisely

Often, a business owner will have an idea of the area that needs to be covered, but fails to consider the conditions under which it would be recording as well as the capabilities of the camera. Video surveillance camera placement is not just about the optimal angle, it is also about optimally using the camera’s features and capabilities within the given environment.

Maximize Your CCTV System with the Right Cameras

Consider the true needs of each area of coverage, and then match the type of camera to the need. In many cases, a facility does not need more cameras. It just needs the right kind for the application, whether you need to cover POS in fine detail or a way to better capture images over a wider space in challenging lighting.

Consider a CCTV System Upgrade

If you have had your CCTV system a while, consider investigating what options are available today. As security technology advances quickly, upgrading can have significant value to the business in many ways, in addition to loss prevention. The cost of upgrades is minimal compared to the added value.

Integrate Business Data with Video Surveillance

One of the most valuable ways to maximize your CCTV system is to integrate it with business intelligence. The insights provide a more in-depth view of the business so that you can stop loss, reduce shrinkage and improve processes. The insights you gain are immediate and actionable and the results are powerful.

Installing, upgrading, or integrating your retail CCTV system can foster profitability and peace of mind. Established in 1995 and headquartered in Melville, NY, S-TRON serves thousands of retail locations with distinction.

In retail, preventing inventory shrinkage and limiting loss is just as important as having great products and stellar customer service. Unfortunately, the most significant contributor to the problem is employee theft. That means that having the right systems and process in place to prevent inventory shrinkage in place is critical.
Here are some important statistics you need to know about employee theft.

Employee theft is common. 75% of employees steal from the workplace.

64% of businesses have been victims of employee theft.

84% of businesses do not report employee theft to investigators.

Employee theft accounts for nearly 41% of all inventory shrinkage.

What Do Employees Steal?

Employee theft costs US companies $20 to $40 billion each year, and it is not all in ball point pens. Here’s what gets stolen.

Money is most frequently stolen, with thefts ranging from $5 to $2 million accounting for 40% of incidents of employee theft.

Product materials account for 18% of employee theft.

Office supplies and equipment results in 6% of employee theft.

Proactive Ways to Deter and Prevent Employee Theft

No business can afford to ignore the issue of employee theft, but at the same time no business wants their employees to feel like they are mistrusted or to make the business feel like a prison facility. The solution is to develop a culture of prevention by implementing the right systems and processes, and let those things do the work for you. Here are some important steps you can take to help improve your security and reduce incidents of theft.

Always use pre-employment background checks.

Establish, clearly communicate and enforce conduct guidelines.

Conduct weekly audits of inventory.

Use access control systems to ensure the right people are in the right places at the right times. It can also keep unauthorized individuals out of critical spaces.

Use video surveillance to help serve as a deterrent to employee theft. With video cameras and CCTV in place employees are less likely to steal in the first place and enforce a culture of integrity. Video surveillance can also help build a better overall retail operation by helping ensure great customer service, and optimal productivity.

Employee theft is an unfortunate fact that every retail operation must address. S-TRON specializes in retail loss prevention and commercial retail security systems. We stay current on the news, trends, and challenges so we can address your individual and highly specialized needs with the most appropriate solutions.

Retail establishments exist in a fast-paced and ever evolving environment with the goal of profitability. Successful businesses realize that one of the most effective ways to increase profit margins is to reduce loss. Without your diligence, the retail field can quickly become a battlefield.

Here are some critical ways you are susceptible to theft, fraud and loss and how to dramatically reduce losses.

Employee Theft

Unfortunately, one of the most frequent ways retail establishments experience theft is by employee theft. One of the best ways to discourage this type of loss is by having CCTV cameras in places not frequented by the general public, such as supply rooms.

Successful businesses realize that one of the most effective ways to increase profit margins is to reduce loss.

Returns Theft

More sales naturally generate more returns. Those returns are frequently stored in accessible areas and do not garner the same level of security as new goods on the floor. Thieves notice this and take advantage of the lack of security. You can fix this problem by tighter controls over returns and go-backs and visible security cameras in the area.

Tool Theft

Not only are retail products targets for theft, so are the tools of the retail trade. Most businesses use an abundance of specialized equipment, much of it smaller and easily concealed. These tools are targets because of their uniqueness and ability to be sold online swiftly and easily. Train employees on best practices to maintain the security of the equipment, and make sure the floor is covered by security cameras.

Fraudulent Claims

Every business large or small, is vulnerable to fraudulent claims. Those wishing to defraud the business, whether they are customers or employees, may stage an accident or injury that can cost a substantial amount to litigate. Having CCTV cameras throughout the business not only discourages such practices but also provides footage that can allow you to successfully dispute claims.

Productivity Loss

Perhaps not surprisingly, businesses today face a substantial amount of loss due to lost productivity. This can take the form of low or slow accomplishment of tasks, extended breaks, using company time for personal business or entertainment as well as many other time robbers. While common to every business, the problem can be successfully combatted with well-placed CCTV cameras.

Shoplifting

Of course, one of the most obvious ways a business is susceptible to theft is through shoplifting. There are many ways to combat shoplifting such as implementing theft reduction practices, such as having more employees on the floor, involved customer service, and visible security cameras.

S-Tron Specializes in retail loss prevention and commercial retail security systems. We strive to be at the forefront of our industry so you can be at the forefront of yours. If you have any questions about retail security, please call S-Tron today.

https://www.s-tron.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/employee-theft-is-preventable-stron.jpg364802Tina Dunnhttps://www.s-tron.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/logo-web-3.pngTina Dunn2017-08-23 16:55:442018-06-05 22:55:21Retail Security: Why You are Susceptible to Theft and How to Fix It Now

In 2016, the average inventory shrink rate increased to 1.44 percent. According to the National Retail Security Survey 2017, shoplifting by outside customers accounted for 37% retail inventory loss, followed by 30% in employee theft, 21% in administrative errors and 5% in vendor fraud. Together this loss accounted for $48.9 billion worth of inventory.

There are Many Ways of Controlling Shrink

Detecting and preventing shoplifting is an important part of any retail establishment. Whether caused by internal or external causes, controlling shrink is one of the most significant factors in controlling expenses. To do this, retailers have several options including employee training, auditing, loss prevention personnel, and loss prevention technologies.

Different Approaches to Address the Problem

Different establishments approach loss prevention differently, largely guided by budget and philosophy. The main focus could be deterrence, detection, or apprehension, and depending on the retailer’s philosophy, the loss prevention strategies utilized and policies instituted will reflect that philosophy.

Cost Effective Loss Prevention Technologies

Loss prevention technologies address every aspect of shrink, from deterrence to detection, and ultimately apprehension. Some of the most cost-effective strategies include CCTV and video surveillance, business intelligence software, and ScanCam. ScanCams helps prevent employee-caused shrink such as barcodes not registering, or making up fraudulent returns.

Stopping a Patron

Shoplifting laws allow retailers to stop and detain a person who has stolen merchandise. To do this properly in a way that can lead to prosecution requires following proper protocol.

The employee must see the customer enter the area where the subject item is displayed.

The employee must see the customer select and pick up the item.

The customer must see the customer conceal, carry, push or pull the item from its location.

The employee must maintain uninterrupted observation of the customer from the original location of the item to the point of detention.

The employee must see that the patron failed to pay for the item.

The shoplifter must be approached outside the store or after the last point of sale.

By properly addressing shoplifting with the right tools and strategies, a retailer can effectively reduce shrink. S-Tron has over 20 years of uncompromising experience in helping retail establishments reach their security goals.

One of the most valuable reports to any retailer is the National Retail Security Survey. The most recent, the 2016 report, reveals something every retailer knows. Theft hurts a business. In 2015, inventory shrink totaled $45.2 billion, up by $1.2 billion from the previous year. While the number is staggering, we can learn one very important lesson from how the numbers break down– commercial security for retail matters, a lot.

Shrinkage is an ENORMOUS Problem

But it could be worse. While the total amount of shrinkage is up, it represents the lowest percentage of sales in the survey’s history. So, retail sales is growing faster than the shrinkage. What is making the difference? The implementation of industry specific commercial security for retail. Since more retailers are implementing sophisticated loss prevention technologies, sales have increased.

Employee Theft is a Bigger Problem Than We Think

No employer wants a culture of suspicion, but the study reveals that preventing internal theft needs more attention. In 2014, internal loss broke down in this way:

Shoplifting 37%

Internal Theft 35%

Paperwork Errors 17%

Vendor Fraud 7%

Unknown Loss 6%

This means that internal theft is just as concerning as shoplifting! But internal theft is also more sensitive to handle, and much more personal. No employer wants to believe a trusted employee is stealing, and obtaining sufficient evidence of criminal activity is very difficult without the help of sophisticated loss prevention technologies. The narrowing margin between loss and percentage of sales indicates that the increased usage of POS systems, access control, and remote access.

Implementing Loss Prevention Solutions is a Win

The commercial security industry is rapidly advancing, and retailers realize the value in implementing these technologies in loss prevention. Most retail store owners report adjusting their security budget, allocating more money for electronic solutions, and seeing the reduction in loss.

Spending Wisely is a Must

No matter the size of the security budget, retailers are realizing that those funds must be spent wisely. This means leveraging the knowledge of electronic security and retail loss professionals who both understand the capabilities of the individual technologies as well as the complexities and demands of individual retail establishments. More retailers are seeing the importance of having a professional recommend solutions that can be fully integrated to provide valuable actionable intelligence which results in a lower total cost of ownership.

S-Tron specializes in retail loss prevention and commercial solutions to help retailers leverage data to target loss prevention and drive sales. Contact us today for a free consultation.

https://www.s-tron.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/retail-lp-study.jpg364802Tina Dunnhttps://www.s-tron.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/logo-web-3.pngTina Dunn2017-03-24 23:15:172019-03-19 22:02:34Commercial Security for Retail Matters More Than You Think

Categories

Archives

Archives

About S-TRON

S-TRON Security is a national security systems integrator with local, professional service and installation. Our clients include national grocery store, C-Store, and retail store franchises. Contact us today for a custom quote.